Clinical Handover among Nurses in an Emergency Setting: Facilitators and Barriers

Abstract

Background: Clinical handover in emergency settings is a crucial and complex process involving transferring patient care responsibilities and information. Objective: It identified the facilitators and barriers to clinical handover among nurses in an emergency setting. Methods: This descriptive qualitative study involves fourteen nurses from the emergency department of a teaching hospital in the East Coast region of Malaysia. The data was collected from one-on-one interviews using a topic guide. Results: The study acknowledged seven facilitators: learning from various approaches, the information that needs to be relayed, the accuracy and precision of the information, the clinical handover at the bedside, the documentation process of the clinical reports, having a good practice of punctuality, familiarise with the use of technology, and six barriers; a limited number of electronic devices, the handover happened away from the patients, heavy workloads occur concomitantly, a lack of self-discipline coincide with the time for handover, and illegible writing skills and inappropriate documentation. It led to themes such as communication effectiveness and commitment to patient safety, teamwork and practices leading to continuity of care, and overcoming challenges while handover reports. Conclusion: Clinical handovers are a vital component of patient care, and they require effective communication and commitment to patient safety, teamwork, and practices, leading to continuity of care and overcoming challenges while handling reports. The administrators shall address the concerns raised by these nurses, as adhering to best practices can help reduce errors and improve the overall quality of care provided.